Diners will have to wait a bit longer for Mediterranean restaurant Zenola to open in Vienna.

Zenola pushed its expected opening from the winter to this summer. The restaurant is currently hiring and posted jobs last week for wait staff, bushboys, bartenders, managers and kitchen staff.

Located in the former Maplewood Grill space (132 Branch Road SE) near the Fresh Market, the restaurant plans to serve Mediterranean cuisine along with beer, wine and cocktails, according to a liquor license application.

While the menu hasn’t been posted online yet, diners can expect this small fruit: olives. “Food is our passion and the olive is our inspiration,” Zenola says on its website, adding:

Olives are a foundational ingredient in each of the five great cuisines of the Mediterranean. Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Moroccan and Spanish cuisines each uniquely pay homage to the olive in their savory offerings. Which is best? We couldn’t decide so we give you the opportunity to determine for yourself by offering exquisite dishes from each.

Wee Chic, a Maryland-based kids’ clothing boutique, recently opened its doors in the former spot of Dawn Price Baby in the Mosaic District.

The store opened at 2905 District Ave, Suite 120 on Saturday, April 6, Ellie Heath, the store’s manager and former Dawn Price Baby employee, told Tysons Reporter.

Wee Chic, which started in Baltimore, wanted to expand into the D.C. market and saw the recent closure of Dawn Price Baby store in the Mosaic District as an opportunity to fill a need for kids’ clothing in the area, Heath said.

After 15 years in business, Dawn Price Baby closed three of its four stores, including the ones in Reston and Georgetown, leaving just the Capitol Hill location open.

“Our store leases have come up for renewal and we have decided to start a new chapter,” Dawn Price, the owner of Dawn Price Baby, posted on the website. “Dawn Price Baby has been one of the most rewarding, challenging and exciting times of my life.”

In addition to filling Dawn Price Baby’s former spot, Heath said Wee Chic offers appropriate tween clothing for kids from fifth to eighth grade — ages that parents can find particularly hard to shop for, Heath said.

Wee Chic carries clothing for girls’ sizes from newborn up to size 16 and for boys from newborn up to size 8, along with toys and books, Heath said.

Heath said the popular items right now are anything with avocados, tacos and sushi, like the sushi-printed bib set for $20, a taco-shaped silicone teether for $16.50 and a taco onesie for $42. Only two avocado bibs are left in the store, Heath said.

A takeout eatery is getting ready to move into the Mosaic District space that previously belonged to Capital Teas.

The tea retailer’s spot at 2910 District Avenue, Suite 168 closed in the summer along with all of its other stores when Capital Teas Inc. filed for bankruptcy in August, an employee told Tysons Reporter. In October, Anchor Beverages took over the brand, and Capital Teas is now just selling its products online.

The vacant spot is getting prepared for a new takeout food establishment named Playa Bowl, according to a building permit.

A similarly named franchise called Playa Bowls serves up acai bowls, poke, smoothies and juice. It is unclear whether the franchise is the same future Mosaic District tenant.

Playa Bowls and EDENS, the retail real estate owner behind the Mosaic District, did not return inquiries from Tysons Reporter.

The colorful, painted benches that recently popped up outside local businesses in the Town of Vienna are marking the 50th anniversary of the Vienna Arts Society.

Purcellville’s painted wine barrel community arts project in 2016 inspired the idea for the “Take a Seat Vienna” public art display, Lu Cousins, the director of the Vienna Arts Society, told Tysons Reporter.

Local businesses sponsored the cost of the Amish-built benches, which each had a roughly $240 price tag, in exchange for having them sit in front of their businesses through October, Cousins said.

Volunteers delivered the benches to 42 artists, 20 of whom are from the greater Vienna area. “Painting a wooden, slatted bench is completely different from painting an image on a canvas,” Cousins said, adding that the shape and angles of a bench can be tricky to paint.

In addition to the artists, Cousins gave a shoutout to the team of nonartists who helped facilitate transportation of the benches and get permits from the town.

Before their unveiling last weekend, the benches were varnished to help them withstand the weather, she said. The Vienna Arts Society has a map for people who want to take a seat in — or a photo of — all 42 benches.

“They are spectacular works of art,” Cousins said, adding that her personal favorites include Susan Scanlon’s “Simply Dreaming” bench, which features actress Audrey Hepburn in her iconic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” role, and the ones with ocean imagery.

A live auction of the benches on Nov. 2 will raise money for the arts nonprofit’s programs.

“They are all beautiful, and they are all unique,” Cousins said. “We want people to enjoy their community.”

Photos courtesy Vienna Arts Society

Arabian Oud, a luxury perfume store chain based in Saudi Arabia, opened in Tysons Corner Center last Sunday (April 7).

Heba Ashraf, the store manager, told Tysons Reporter that the oil based-fragrances stem from oil harvested from the wood of disease-infected trees. The disease — a type of mold — prompts the trees to produce a fragrant oily resin, which is then harvested.

The scents vary depending on where the tree is from and if the tree flowers, Ashraf said.

Most of the fragrances in the store cost several hundred dollars, Ashraf said. The most expensive item is the $1,500 Royal Oud Set, which is described as a Cambodian oud with a blend of roses and musk. Less expensive items include the $50 Disney fragrances for kids, including “Mickey Mouse” with pear, toffee apples and musk and “Cinderella” with pineapple, rose, musk, jasmine and vanilla.

Established in 1982, Arabian Oud has more than 55 branches across the world, including a location in New York City’s Times Square. Ashraf said that she gleaned from the management that the Tysons Corner Center spot is ideal because of the high-end brands in “one of the biggest malls here in the area,” along with the mall’s proximity to D.C. and its diverse demographics.

“I see people from all over the world [come into the store],” Ashraf said.

Fairfax County police are looking for an armed man who tried to rob a hotel employee but ended up leaving empty-handed.

The incident took place around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12. A man displayed a gun and tried to take money that an employee was counting at the Quality Inn on Spring Hill Road in Vienna, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

The man left empty-handed after a brief struggle with the employee, who called out for help, police say.

“The suspect is described as black, 6’2″ to 6′ 5″, 180 to 200 pounds, wearing a red and white long sleeve shirt with a collar and a black backpack,” according to FCPD.

Photo via Google Maps

The Filene Center at Wolf Trap has an extensive summer lineup featuring famous rockers and R&B groups from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, along with some well-known country artists.

Tysons Reporter rounded up the noteworthy concerts coming to the outdoor amphitheater.

• May 31: Sammy Hagar and Night Ranger
• June 2: Bobby Brown and Bell Biv Devoe
• June 15: Johnny Mathis
• June 25: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Melissa Etheridge
• June 27: Diana Ross
• June 30: Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Toad the Wet Sprocket
• July 2: Earth, Wind and Fire
• July 3: Jackson Browne
• July 7: Josh Groban
• July 14: Nas
• July 15: Lionel Richie
• July 16: “Weird Al” Yankovic
• July 18: Sheryl Crow
• July 20: SOJA and Sublime With Rome
• July 24: Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers, Amos Lee
• July 28: Reba McEntire
• July 30: Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington
• July 31: Steve Miller Band and Marty Stuart
• Aug. 3: Sarah McLachlan
• Aug. 7: Tony Bennett
• Aug. 10-11: Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band
• Aug. 13: Stray Cats
• Aug. 16: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
• Aug. 18: Mark Knopfler
• Aug. 22: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
• Aug. 25: The Beach Boys
• Aug. 26: Sting

Photo via Wolf Trap 

Vienna’s version of “American Idol” plans to return for its eighth annual music competition.

Vienna Idol showcases local talent, while also raising money for the Khristin Kyllo Memorial Fund, which honors the memory of a local Vienna resident who died suddenly due to a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

The contest has raised more than $80,000 for the fund, which sends several young people to college, purchases epilepsy seizure bracelets and monitors for people who can’t afford them and donates funds for SUDEP research, according to the competition’s website.

The semi-weekly auditions start the first week of April and will take place at either Caffe Amouri Coffee Roaster (107 Church St NE) or Whole Foods (143 Maple Ave E.) throughout the month.

The winner gets chosen by attendees, who vote for their favorite “Idol” during a concert on the Vienna Town Green (144 Maple Ave E.) on Friday, June 7.

The first place winner will receive $700 and eight hours of professional recording studio time. The contestant in second place will walk away with $500, while the contestant in third place will get $250.

Image via Facebook

April performances at The Barns at Wolf Trap feature a mix of music, from folk to acapella to instrumental.

Omara Portuondo, an 88-year-old Cuban singer and dancer who has been compared to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, will bring her signature flair from April 23-24. Tickets start at $50.

The Secret Sisters (real-life sisters  Laura and Lydia Rogers) are set to bring their haunting folk songs to the stage on April 19. Their 2017 album “You Don’t Own Me Anymore” earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. The stop at Wolf Trap is a part of the duo’s current tour. Tickets cost $25.

Singer-songwriter Storm Large will also take to the stage to perform a range of songs, from Cole Porter to Pat Benatar.

You might have seen her as a contestant on the CBS reality television show “Rock Star: Supernova.” Large has an eclectic background. She started as a rock artist before transitioning into the theater and cabaret world. Tickets are $55.

The list of Wolf Trap events in April:

• April 4: Tom Paxton & The DonJuans
• April 5: The Swingles
• April 6: A BandHouse Gigs Tribute to XTC
• April 7: Calidore String Quartet and Juho Pohjonen
• April 11: Robyn Hitchcock
• April 12: Storm Large
• April 18: Stephen Kellogg
• April 19: The Secret Sisters
• April 23-24: Omara Portuondo
• April 25: John McCutcheon
• April 26: Wu Han, Gloria Chien and Gilles Vonsattel

The full Wolf Trap schedule is available online.

Photo via Wolf Trap 

Several newcomers are heading to the Mosaic District.

Two restaurants are set to open this fall, according to EDENS, a retail real estate owner and developer.

French bistro Parc de Ville will fill the former spot of Mike Isabella’s Requin (8296 Glass Alley, Suite 110), Washingtonian reported.

This is will be the first Northern Virginia location for D.C. restauranteurs Ian and Eric Hilton, who are known for their concepts Chez Billy Sud, Players Club and The Brixton, according to EDENS.

RyuKai, a Japanese BBQ and soba noodle restaurant, will include a demo kitchen where Shuichi Kotani will teach soba noodle making, EDENS said in a press release. The restaurant is set to occupy a 5,820-square-foot-space at 2980 District Ave, the Commercial Observer reported.

Kumon, an afterschool math and reading program, will join RyuKai at 2980 District Ave. Building permits indicate that Kumon will take up a 1,377-square-foot space in suite 150.

Up the street, Wee Chic, a Maryland-based kids’ clothing boutique, will take the former spot of Dawn Price Baby (2905 District Ave suite 120).

First and last images via Google Maps